Remarkable Tales
by Palaemona
Summary: You don't really know Ginny Weasley. This is really just a beginning to a series of beginnings.
1. Overshadowed

**Remarkable Tales**

…

When she was younger, she hadn't been anything remarkable.

She was the youngest, overshadowed and over stepped upon. She hadn't needed the attention the way Ronald had, nor did she need to seek the spotlight like the twins were forever doing. She grew up quickly, following the steps of Percy.

She was fine. She was fine with the patched knees of her trousers, and she was fine with scuffed shoes that were held together by tape. None of it was highly a concern to her. She was much happier burrowed into a thick Muggle book, rather than the ridiculous tales of the Boy-Who-Lived.

She never quite understood how on Earth the Magical World was so transfixed over a child murdering a murderer, and then casting him away.

It seemed cruel to her, at least.

Ginny Weasley was a strange child, they would all say. Her family and relatives didn't know what to say to her. They hadn't understood her obsession with Shakespeare, nor could they understand what she meant when she said 'V for Vendetta'. But she was fine with that. Because they didn't understand she knew how to pick locks and throw a punch, nor could they understand why she always had a book tucked under her arm, or how she could pick out the liars from the crowd.

She was just fine, living in a world oblivious to her talents.

…

When the hat roared Ravenclaw, the entire castle became quiet. Even the Muggle-Borns fell silent. Every Weasley had been sorted into the House of the brave and the bold for the past twenty-seven generations.

Her family wouldn't be too impressed, but they'd get over it, she supposed.

She slipped into a spot at the table on the far side, Percy giving her a nod from across the room. The Twins were grimacing, shaking their heads, and Ron was sneering from where he sat.

She was fine with that.

She took out a battered copy of Hamlet and began to flip through the well-loved pages as the rest of the sorting was carried out. People eyed her as her fingers played with the blue and bronze tie, but she gave fake little smiles and pretended that she cared.

It was Luna Lovegood who sat across from her with blonde hair pulled back tightly who smiled back at her, showing her teeth.

Ginny smirked.

…

It was the second night when the other girls tried to make living in the dorms difficult for Lovegood, Ginny found out. It was why she held the first one at wand point, eyes flashing dangerously. Several books lay scattered around her feet, revealing the various hexes and spells within.

Luna's eyes watered as she held a shattered frame, a picture slipping out.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? And you best be leaving that wand in your pocket." She demanded hotly, red hair flooding her vision.

The girls flinched, and Ginny scowled. Luna clenched the broken frame.

"She's weird," the short one announced, pointing an angry finger at the blond girl.

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You're ugly. Does that give me the right to punch your face bloody just because looking at it pisses me off?"

"Hey! Lay off her!" Came a cry from one girl. Ginny hadn't bothered to get names down, because no one really seemed important enough for her to bother with, other than Luna.

Ginny snorted. "You lay off my friend, and I don't hex your guts out."

An instant repairing spell was bestowed upon the shattered glass, repairing the damage. Luna looked up and gave her a watery smile. The others looked in awe at her excellent use of magic, and flinched from her threats.

It was the second night when Ginny made her first friend.

…

She was prodigy at charms. She was excellent at transfiguration. Defense didn't mean a damn when it was taught by such an idiot. Potions were mere passes.

She was lifting her chin up in the hallways, hefting her book load through the corridors. Percy would pass her letters and poems of his own creations. She would smile at him and scrawl out in neat little script that he had taught her for her own replies.

The Twins ignored her existence.

Ron would bump into her in hallways and try to trip her up, but it only took a quick reflex to land an unsettling blow to the crotch to ensure he wouldn't dare to try and play the same tricks twice.

And he didn't. And no other boy dared to come near her.

Ron's friend Hermione breathed down her neck every time she visited the Library. She seemed to want a quiet place to study, and the Ravenclaw common room was legendary for study groups it hosted.

And then the quiet green eyes of Malfoy's best mate would meet her every few times in a while.

…

She would smile, every once in a while. The tiny little Charms teacher wanted to ensure she was safe as she returned home. But she would paste on little smiles and promise she would tell him so. No one ever said a word to Luna when she arrived at school with bruises on her arms and angry welts on her back.

But Ginny would push on.

No one gave her issues. The other Ravenclaws would whisper behind her back, but she could live with a few petty insults. Ron would declare he had no sister, and the Twins just didn't bother to even try to deny her.

And no one ever listened to Percy anyways.

So she grew up.

She grew up learning love was conditional. After all, a father's love could be wiped away after a tragedy, and only a broken little girl was the remainder. She learned that a hero could be transformed into a villain, because the Boy-Who-Lived wearing green and silver could not be tolerated. She learned that turning her back on a house and a code resulted into shunning.

She was proof.

…

There was a diary, hidden in her trunk.

She ignored the words that screamed at her, because everyone knew that a book talking to you was unnatural. She had no use, but figured she could pawn it off in down in Knockturn for a decent price.

Luna would cast worried glances at the trunk, and turn away. She would play old records, and the two would bury themselves in the written world, diving deep within safe, _silent_ books.

Ginny enjoyed those afternoons.

…

Percy would greet her some mornings when their paths collided. He would clasp hands with an older Ravenclaw girl, and he would smile at her. A real smile, like she was still his sister and he still cared.

Because she was and he did.

And the Ravenclaw girl would nod to her, unsure of what to say. Rumors of the Weasley girl holding her dorm mates at wand point and threatening to hex out their guts made an impression on the rest of the dorms.

It was one cold morning where he passed her a heavy present wrapped in thick paper with a blue and bronze bow taped to the top. She handed off a carefully wrapped present of equal proportions.

They both held back a laugh.

"Merry Christmas, Ginny." He would tell her, smiling honestly at her.

And she would use one of the special smiles that actually meant something and give Percy the widest one she could. She would wish him well as she returned home and he stayed within the walls.

She envied him.

…

It was stiff, being home.

Her room was dusty, and the books on her shelves were untouched. She bristled slightly at the lack of care bestowed to it. But she got over it.

"Nice that you're home," Molly would tell her. She would plaster a wide smile on her face, one that would melt away into something honest when she saw one of her boys walking past.

She would shrug.

"Are you thinking about joining the team next year?" Arthur would offer to her, pointing to the broom shed. It lay in the distance, locked and sealed. If she cared enough to bother, she'd pick the lock and steal a ride. But she didn't.

She would say no, because she wasn't fond of flying. And if she did get on a broom, one of the Twins would try and smash her face in with a bludger.

It got quiet after that.

…

Christmas finished slowly.

She was gifted with a sweater from her mother, and a pair of boots with metal patching's on the soles from her father. A wide selection of books was given to her by both Percy and Luna, and she was fine. She didn't want the charity of her family.

She just wanted to be herself.

But she couldn't, so she would pretend.

…

She returned to the castle with snowflakes clinging to her eye lashes and the metal patching's clacking against the floor. Luna greets her warmly, a faded bruise darkening her features. She can make out several more on her arms and Ginny flinches.

She also makes out the Boy-Who-Betrayed standing close to the Malfoy heir, the blonde keeping a close watch over him. She stifles a laugh. The ice prince might just have feelings, she smirks.

She quietly hands over a jar of potions to Luna, nodding mutely. She doesn't need words, nor does she need any form of thankfulness.

She doesn't want any of it.

Instead, she tells her how much she enjoys the books that she was given, and hopes that Luna would be up to comparing theory essays later in the evening.

They're good at changing the subject from what matters.

…

They want to move her up a year.

She says no.

She doesn't want to rush things. She's fine where she is.

They just don't understand that. It's funny how little others can understand.

…

She gets mad, suddenly one day.

Ronald tossed an insult at her, and she slammed a small fist into his face. Her hair escaped its braid, and her books scattered to the ground. Luna was shouting and screaming, and everyone was watching and Ron kneed her in the gut.

She didn't understand why she couldn't stop, but her last punch made his face crunch, and all of a sudden he was bleeding.

And then strong arms were wrapped around her, forcing the air out of her lungs as she struggled. Ronald lashed out at her, and his nails raked against her skin. She cried out and shot her foot out, catching him hard in the knee.

And then things went dark.

…

They stunned her, apparently.

She was a danger to others, they claimed.

They tended to her injuries, and then to her brother's. And they dealt out punishments to suit the crime.

Luna spoke for her, as the Healer stitched together her face. "Ronald started it. He always starts it. He's been taunting her for months now."

Minerva would sigh heavily and shake her head. "I appreciate your concern, Miss. Lovegood, but I'm afraid that this is none of your concern."

Luna would shake her head. "Of course it's my concern. Who's going to give a damn? Her family don't care. They gave her a Howler for bloodying up Ronald's pathetic face."

"Language," the healer called to the girl, while Ginny sat rigid. Her expression was emotionless, hands shaking.

Luna's eyes flashed. "Language? That is all you are going to say? Ginny would be better off disowned, and you're more concerned that she punched Ronald in the face after supressing it, after all this time? How would you like it if someone told you that you were worthless, and the family should have drowned you at birth?"

Ginny felt something break.

Minerva however carried on. "I'm sure you're exaggerating, Miss. Lovegood."

"You know, this school is rubbish." Ginny announced solemnly.

Grey eyes met hazel, and Luna understood.

…

Percy tended his bloody knuckles in silence, and George tended to Fred's face.

Ginny sat with Luna in the library, refusing to enter the Great Hall. Teachers dealt out detentions, burdening her down with the work. Ginny managed in stiff silence, refusing to break.

Ronald paraded his injuries about, encouraging several of the other Gryffindors to try and hex the Boy-Who-Lived in the hallways.

Draco sent twenty older students livid after them all.

The wars began to brew, and rivalries became more violent.

Ginny smiled, because this was started by her.

It was an old system, and she was tearing it apart.

…

They stop with the house cup shortly after the seven Slytherins and the eighteen Gryffindors managed to find themselves staying overnight in the hospital wing. Students still gawked at the faded scars on Ginny's face, a reminder of her brother.

Percy lost his chance at the prefect opening when he broke George's nose.

The entire castle was in uproar, and Ginny would only have to gaze across a corridor to find green eyes regarding her skillfully.

Several howlers were bestowed upon her, six from her mother and one from her father. Each one of them was torn to shreds before it was given an opportunity to screech ungodly words at her.

Students admired her spell work, defeating the original spells crafted into the paper. She taught twenty classmates the spell before she stopped caring.

She wasn't caring about too much now.

…

She burns the diary.

She doesn't know why, but she hates it. It provokes a rage deep within, and she can't calm it until she's grasping hold of the ashes themselves and burning her palms. It's an old spell she discovered, creating a powerful fire that could destroy a book that talked to her.

She knows it's dark and illegal, but it's stunning.

Ginny began to realize that this was a sign of change.

She was changing.

…

You don't really know Ginny Weasley.

This is really just a beginning to a series of beginnings.

…

**This is different. I'm interested in the whole 'house' dynamics and family relationships, and I wanted a decent Ginny. No one makes her intelligent. So I decided to overkill, and make her like… really intelligent. I'm debating on the pairing still, though. **

**Luna has a backbone, by the way. So does Harry. And Draco isn't a jerk. This is something… different for me to write, I guess. I don't do this sort of story, nor do I create multi chapter stories. But, here's to several awesome chapters. **

**Anyways, updates'll be spotty I guess for a bit. Between work and school and drivers Ed, I think I'm going to crash. But anyways, I felt happy because I finally ordered in for these Firefly comics so I'm waiting, I'm excited. Got space on my bookshelf all ready for 'em. **


	2. Understanding

Little Ginny Weasley grew up.

She grew up quickly, spiraling into a world where a smile could be the most lethal weapon.

She was fine with it.

She always was, because she had to be.

…

She doesn't like honesty, to be truthful. Nor does she enjoy liars, if she were honest.

But that's perfectly alright, because she doesn't listen to the expectations. Nor does she follow the other's examples. She's perfectly alright with it all.

She realizes it one day, as she's seated beneath a tall oak tree with the sunlight dancing around her. She's flipped through such worn pages; a thick book perched on her lap. She realized and understands and _knows_.

The world she lives within now does not matter.

She can struggle against the rules, and try and hold her chin up high as she follows the pattern so obediently. Ginny plays by the rules, as she becomes the outsider.

So she smiles and sets aside her book slowly.

She doesn't have to play by the rules any longer.

…

She slipped into the kitchen one morning, Molly and Arthur ignoring her presence as always. She ignored their lives in return. She doesn't need to greet them with bright smiles and false greetings.

They were talking loudly, shaking a copy of the Daily Prophet wildly. Ginny only raised a mere eyebrow of annoyance at Percy as he slipped into a chair beside her. Sunlight streamed through the windows, rippling across the tabletop.

"I can't believe that boy," Molly spouted, snapping her wand in the direction of the stove. A sizzling sound emerged, and a strong scent of bacon took to the air. "Of all things he could have done, he does that."

Arthur sighed heavily. "Blowing up his Aunt as if she were a balloon. No respect."

"He never should have been sorted into that house. That Malfoy was a bad influence on the boy. We should all be demanding a resorting and have him with the proper sort." Molly snapped. Ginny bristled as her mother's eyes settled upon her. A strange gleam had settled across the hazel. "Perhaps we can request a resorting for Ginny?" Her voice became softer.

Percy swallowed loudly, setting his cup down with a clack on the table. Arthur jumped, but Ginny never broke her eyes away from Molly's own.

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "I'm just fine where I am."

"You don't have any proper friends." Molly retorted, scoffing. "Nor do you have any family in that house."

"I have Luna. I have Percy."

"Percy is a Gryffindor with your other brothers." Molly frowned, looking down at her daughter. Ginny's nose wrinkled at the scent of burning bacon. "And besides, that girl isn't the proper sort."

Ginny snapped up, standing tall. "Luna is my friend. I don't need to be in the same house with Percy in order to have him love me for who I am. Who I _really_ am. What the hell is wrong with you all?"

Her words were tinged with venom.

"Watch your language. No child of mine will speak like that under my roof," Molly flung her hands to her hips.

Ginny laughed wildly. "But I'm not your child anymore, am I? Not unless I wear gold and red, and sacrifice others for the sake of my own. You can't stand the idea of having someone like me in your home. But I am. That's the thing."

Ginny stood slowly as the silence grew, striding through the kitchen and out the door with understanding.

…

The first thing she manages to catch sight of at the station was Luna. Her head was bent as she tugged at her trunk and Ginny cautiously casted a charm to make her burden lighter. In such a crowd of magic users, the Ministry wouldn't even catch sight of a little charm.

Luna began to plow her way through a little more easily, eyes scanning the crowd until she caught sight of Ginny. A small smile tugged at her lips before she disappeared aboard the Express.

Ginny dodged her mother's eyes and slipped through the bustling crowd, joining her companion.

She carefully stepped down hard upon a flier that had fallen from the wall, and the face of Sirius Black flinched.

She smirked.

She never liked traitors.

…

She flipped through the pages of 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' slowly. They were well loved, yellowing slightly at the corners. It was a book Percy had gotten her from some Muggle Bookstore, telling her to try it. It was honest and loud, churning with ideas. Another world beneath her fingertips, she imagined.

The train roared beneath her feet, churning with energy and force.

Luna was stretched out on the other seat, using her sweater as a pillow. She too was flipping over a book, blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. The scent of rosemary and oils filled the air, bruises fading away from the thin arms.

They were silent, dark circles ringing Luna's eyes. Pain emerging from Ginny's hazel orbs.

"You could tell someone." She said out loud, rolling her head over to gaze at her friend.

Luna looked over. "What would that do in the end?"

Ginny turned back to the pages, swallowing.

What would anything do in the end?

…

It's when things go dark, Ginny understands.

A ringing fear, an endless chasm.

The darkness waits.

Ginny begins to finally understand.

Someone screams and cries, and Luna is thrashing beside her.

She sits rigid, daring to breathe and live.

The darkness leaves, but a bitter coldness still haunts the compartment.

…

The sorting was loud and fast, anxiously filling the benches. Ginny sat beside Luna away from the rest of the house, and Percy nodded at her from where he sat.

Dumbledore spoke gravely, words flowing with madness.

Green eyes flickered to her own.

He smiled.

She wasn't quite so alone.

…

She smiles brightly at one of the third year boys as she walks past. They're thick enough to miss the falseness, the ringing lies within. She feels so plastic as she strides past, head tilted up with pride.

So they smile back freely.

She glides by, boots clacking as she works her way up the stairs to the dorms.

The girls look at her, eyes flashing to Luna who's already perched upon her bed with a textbook on her lap.

"Let's not have an incident, shall we?" Ginny warned, eyes flashing brightly as her fingers graze her wand.

They swallow and move away slowly.

Ginny smirks. They fear her presence, and everything she is and will be. She strives for it.

…

The days past by freely. She sinks into an endless lull, mindlessly chopping potion ingredients and casting charms and hexes and spells. She tries not to think so hard, because she doesn't want to know what lies within her mind.

Luna's beside her, of course. She runs barefoot over the castle's floor, skirting by. No one says a word to her, because everyone knows Luna isn't a Pureblood, so she isn't important enough to bother with.

Ginny however makes music as she slips over stone hallways and stair wells, echoes rising and falling. No one dares to say a word to her, however. She's the shunned child that never should have been.

It's only when she collides painfully with Malfoy, she begins to understand _just a little bit more_.

"Watch where you're going," he spits at her, wiping any touch she may have left upon his robes away.

She smirks. "Whatever, Malfoy."

Suddenly a wand point is facing her head on and she begins to laugh. He presses a little harder, as if he can make her concerned and frightened, if she were a mere first year. She pushes the elegant wand away from her face, and smiles at him.

All he can see are teeth and knives.

"You aren't scared of me, are you?" His question is blunt, and he's giving her a shark like grin.

She begins to walk away, revealing her wand already in hand. "I have my own secrets. You won't hurt me. Not in this hallway directly across from the Headmaster's office."

"Nice to see you aren't like the others," He calls to her.

She really isn't like the others at all. She never could be.

…

She had pride. It's a foolish, loud pride that has subjected thousands to disaster. It's why she must know everything. The secrets that hide and cower away and she must pry them out and examine them. Ginny has to find the weaknesses, and the strengths.

No one understands themselves, but she does.

She understands how the path to ruination begins, and she knows where the path to glory ends. She knows the little things, such as what is that little part of you that makes you want to live.

She knows it all.

She had a weakness. A never ending weakness that will either destroy her, or make her stronger.

She smiles a bit more, and dares to strike down.

…

He's a werewolf. She knows because it's so bloody obvious, any well-bred Pureblood would be able to catch on to the ploy. She also knows that mutt that wanders the school grounds shouldn't be here, but it is because no one catches on to its presence.

She doesn't say anything, of course. Why should she?

She carries on and moves on, and leaves the world at her heels.

…

Darkness settles quickly, she muses. The chill in the air, the frigid setting of the waters lapping at her feet. The sun had sunk low behind the Forest, and she shivered. Her breath hung heavy in the air as it faded away.

Ginny puts away her books in her bag when she hears a long howl trembling in the air. She can hear screaming and shouting, but she turns her back to the forest and begins her travels back to the Castle.

This was not her problem.

…

They found the body of Black on the edge of the grounds. The Daily Prophet reported that it seemed to have been ripped apart by a werewolf.

Draco Malfoy sat next to his close companion, mimicking his smirk.

Ginny bit back a laugh.

…

She returns home, of course. And she counts her days until she can leave once again.

She was going to be something one day, she knew. Because she had to. This world was suffocating her slowly, burning through to her core.

It was either find herself, or to wither away and die.

She understood.

…

**So this chapter was pretty much keyed to the phrase Understanding. I like finding a word, and clinging to it. Forgive me, if you find it repetitive. I like reading books, so a lot of the ones I'm reading will end up in it. **

**Also, about the updating schedule. It's pretty messed, if I'm honest. Since my first chapter, I've had some pretty intense shifts at work, Drivers Ed, my birthday and some heavy projects I've been working on.**

**This story I'm working out isn't one of my favourites, to be honest. Just endless rambles to create something. I've been pretty uninspired lately, so if you readers have any ideas, just give 'em to me in a review. **


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